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sarahthegaymer's Reviews (305)
Two weeks later I'm writing the review for this book and I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about it.
I picked this up because I loved "Nothing To See Here" by Kevin Wilson and so I was interested to see what else they had to offer. While I didn't love this book, I also didn't hate it and I stand firm in my decision to give it a solid 3-stars.
This book is almost completely 'slice of life' where we're following two teenagers during the summer before Social Media, Internet, Cell Phones, and the time where people just lived in the moment. Frankie, an outcast and the younger sibling to triplet older brothers that like to cause havoc around their small town meets Zeke - a visitor to their small town for just the summer. Together, they create a piece of art, make some photocopies, and start spreading it around town. At first is weird, and fun, and innocent, but soon, it because more than what either of them could have imagined or asked for...
Now, twenty or so years later, an art report has found Frankie and wants to get to the bottom of the "Coalfield Panic".
There was a lot in this book that I really related too - so many good quotes that just really hit me in the feels. It talked a lot about being a teen and just wanting to find yourself in a world where you were lost. Wanting to SCREAM at the top of your lungs to make people notice you.
Those were the moments of the book I loved and and what allowed me to continue forward with the story as a whole.
I think that this was around a 4-4.5 star read for me until I the ending then I was just left defeated and disappointed..a little bit mad that I read all of this stuff and for what?! Maybe that's my own fault for not looking a bit more into the book - but this just felt like something I needed to go into blind which I don't regret.
Overall, if you're looking for something different and something that isn't too heavy - just a story of young love and adventure - this is your book.
I picked this up because I loved "Nothing To See Here" by Kevin Wilson and so I was interested to see what else they had to offer. While I didn't love this book, I also didn't hate it and I stand firm in my decision to give it a solid 3-stars.
This book is almost completely 'slice of life' where we're following two teenagers during the summer before Social Media, Internet, Cell Phones, and the time where people just lived in the moment. Frankie, an outcast and the younger sibling to triplet older brothers that like to cause havoc around their small town meets Zeke - a visitor to their small town for just the summer. Together, they create a piece of art, make some photocopies, and start spreading it around town. At first is weird, and fun, and innocent, but soon, it because more than what either of them could have imagined or asked for...
Now, twenty or so years later, an art report has found Frankie and wants to get to the bottom of the "Coalfield Panic".
There was a lot in this book that I really related too - so many good quotes that just really hit me in the feels. It talked a lot about being a teen and just wanting to find yourself in a world where you were lost. Wanting to SCREAM at the top of your lungs to make people notice you.
Those were the moments of the book I loved and and what allowed me to continue forward with the story as a whole.
I think that this was around a 4-4.5 star read for me until I the ending then I was just left defeated and disappointed..a little bit mad that I read all of this stuff and for what?! Maybe that's my own fault for not looking a bit more into the book - but this just felt like something I needed to go into blind which I don't regret.
Overall, if you're looking for something different and something that isn't too heavy - just a story of young love and adventure - this is your book.
I think it is time for me to lay Finlay Donovan to rest and this book was perfect for that.
I won't go too much into detail about plot since this is the fourth book in the series, however; if you're familiar with what the last three books have been about - you'll be happy to know that this finally wraps everything up nicely and that it's a good stopping point. (I believe there are going to be additional titles in the series).
A couple of things:
1. I literally could not wait for this book to end. I won't lie, a few times I wanted to just put it down and walk away and be like, "ok, that's enough for me"...but I am also someone that feels the need to complete things so I felt like I had to push myself through even thought I literally. did. not. care.
Don't get me wrong the story isn't bad; there is the same quirkiness and little side missions and all this mystery solving going on, but I personally feel that Finlay was just in too deep and I can't believe she managed away out of it.
2. At least the last two books have been blurbed by Janet Evanovich who wrote the Stephanie Plum series. If you don't know this - I am positively in love with Stephanie Plum. While I feel like the Finlay series is aiming to have the quirkiness and comedy that the Stephanie Plum series has, I feel like it first and foremost does not do it as well, but also secondly takes a lot of the same ideas and tries to do it just a little different and that doesn't sit well with me. I 100% understand that this is a series - just like S.P. - that you have to suspend your disbelief to read because these are definitely NOT things that would happen in real-life or the real-world. That is not the problem for me. The problem is the execution..
All-in-all, it's been a good ride while it's happened but I do not know that I will go any further in the series - unless some of my trusted folks come out and say that it's really, really worth it.
I won't go too much into detail about plot since this is the fourth book in the series, however; if you're familiar with what the last three books have been about - you'll be happy to know that this finally wraps everything up nicely and that it's a good stopping point. (I believe there are going to be additional titles in the series).
A couple of things:
1. I literally could not wait for this book to end. I won't lie, a few times I wanted to just put it down and walk away and be like, "ok, that's enough for me"...but I am also someone that feels the need to complete things so I felt like I had to push myself through even thought I literally. did. not. care.
Don't get me wrong the story isn't bad; there is the same quirkiness and little side missions and all this mystery solving going on, but I personally feel that Finlay was just in too deep and I can't believe she managed away out of it.
2. At least the last two books have been blurbed by Janet Evanovich who wrote the Stephanie Plum series. If you don't know this - I am positively in love with Stephanie Plum. While I feel like the Finlay series is aiming to have the quirkiness and comedy that the Stephanie Plum series has, I feel like it first and foremost does not do it as well, but also secondly takes a lot of the same ideas and tries to do it just a little different and that doesn't sit well with me. I 100% understand that this is a series - just like S.P. - that you have to suspend your disbelief to read because these are definitely NOT things that would happen in real-life or the real-world. That is not the problem for me. The problem is the execution..
All-in-all, it's been a good ride while it's happened but I do not know that I will go any further in the series - unless some of my trusted folks come out and say that it's really, really worth it.
This book had 5-star potential. In fact, for probably 50% or so of the way through the book I thought it was going to be a 5-star for me. Unfortunately 3.5 is the best I could do by the end.
In this debut novel we are following Lauren (maybe Laura? Laurel..? Yeah, I already forgot her name)...anyways, so we're following her as she returns to her flat one night after a friend's bachelorette party to discover a random man in her flat. She's obviously frightened at the discovery but then realizes this man is not only in her apartment, but he's her husband...except, she doesn't have a husband...or at least she didn't when she left.
Through a series of events, Lauren discovers that something is fishy about the attic in her flat and once she sends this man she found in her apartment..her husband..up the ladder and he disappears, a new man, a new husband, appears. And therefore, we have the title.."The Husbands". We're following Lauren through a series of husbands and countless men that she sends back to the attic and the consequences that each of these men has on her life as they arrive and leave.
So, like I said before, this is a really interesting premise and overall I like the book, there was nothing that made me overly upset, and to be honest I found myself unable to put the book down because I wanted to see what was going to happen next.
The first issue that I have with the book is that I truly found the main character so unlikeable. She had almost zero personality and there was nothing about her that stuck out as memorable. I think that the development of the husband characters were done much better than the main character..and maybe that was the point? But husbands that we literally only saw for a page or a few paragraphs had more personality than Lauren.
My second issue is that the book was told from Lauren's perspective for the most part, but then random paragraphs would change to "she" and that just confused the fuck outta me because I wasn't sure what the purpose of that was?
There is a situation that takes place somewhere between half way and three quarters of the book that really just irked me as well and it sort of became the focal point and ended in such a way that I'm not sure why we spent so much time talking about it.
So, overall, I enjoyed in the book - I was also satisfied with the ending because while a bit extreme, I understand the reasoning behind it and that I appreciated. I will definitely continue to read anything this author puts out because I think there is great potential there and with a few minor tweaks, this could have easily been a 4 or 5 star read.
In this debut novel we are following Lauren (maybe Laura? Laurel..? Yeah, I already forgot her name)...anyways, so we're following her as she returns to her flat one night after a friend's bachelorette party to discover a random man in her flat. She's obviously frightened at the discovery but then realizes this man is not only in her apartment, but he's her husband...except, she doesn't have a husband...or at least she didn't when she left.
Through a series of events, Lauren discovers that something is fishy about the attic in her flat and once she sends this man she found in her apartment..her husband..up the ladder and he disappears, a new man, a new husband, appears. And therefore, we have the title.."The Husbands". We're following Lauren through a series of husbands and countless men that she sends back to the attic and the consequences that each of these men has on her life as they arrive and leave.
So, like I said before, this is a really interesting premise and overall I like the book, there was nothing that made me overly upset, and to be honest I found myself unable to put the book down because I wanted to see what was going to happen next.
The first issue that I have with the book is that I truly found the main character so unlikeable. She had almost zero personality and there was nothing about her that stuck out as memorable. I think that the development of the husband characters were done much better than the main character..and maybe that was the point? But husbands that we literally only saw for a page or a few paragraphs had more personality than Lauren.
My second issue is that the book was told from Lauren's perspective for the most part, but then random paragraphs would change to "she" and that just confused the fuck outta me because I wasn't sure what the purpose of that was?
There is a situation that takes place somewhere between half way and three quarters of the book that really just irked me as well and it sort of became the focal point and ended in such a way that I'm not sure why we spent so much time talking about it.
So, overall, I enjoyed in the book - I was also satisfied with the ending because while a bit extreme, I understand the reasoning behind it and that I appreciated. I will definitely continue to read anything this author puts out because I think there is great potential there and with a few minor tweaks, this could have easily been a 4 or 5 star read.
I enjoyed the idea of the story and enjoyed the writing in the 65 pages I did read. However, the topic of the story was just a bit too heavy for me & I decided to stop reading. I think it could be a great read if true crime is your thing, but it’s not for me.
I loved this book so much, but I give it 4 and 5 stars, so my overall rating is around a 4.5 stars. Let me explain...
Morrigan Crow is an outcast. Born on Eventide, a curse that means she'll live for a only a short time, she knows that her time alive is nearing the end. This also means that she's a pretty unlucky girl. Bad things always seem to happen when she's around, and whether or not Morrigan is *actually* to blame, she usually takes the blame. Her Father and Stepmother are positively repulsive. Her Grandmother is just written in that way where you know there is maybe an *inkling* of caring and loving, but she absolutely does not know how to show it.
But then, on the evening of her demise, she's scooped up by none other than Jupiter North and swept into Nevermoor; a magical world that for now is Morrigan's new home. She be participating in a series of 'trials' in order to be admitted to the Wundrous Society, the only hope that Morrigan has left. If she fails this, it could cost her everything.
I absolutely adore this book. The writing was so exquisite - it had me laughing, crying, and being angry all at the same time. As an adult, there were some aspects of Morrigan's life that I really related too and I could physically feel the pain that Morrigan experienced being an outcast. All of the side characters were also written in away where you knew just enough about them to form an opinion, but not enough that it was overwhelming. I also really enjoyed all the little details of the trials and the overall high stakes.
5-STARS: As an adult, I positively loved this book and think it is worth of each and every of the five stars I've given it. I cannot wait to continue in the series, and I would even consider a re-read of this so that I could try and catch some things that I may have overlooked the first time around. For me, reading this book felt like when I picked up the Harry Potter for the first time as a young girl, just diving right in and flying through at every opportunity I had to see what would happen next.
4- STARS: If you're looking at this review and wondering where I think it might fall for a middle grade reader, I would say between 4-4.5 stars. THE ONLY REASON I say this is while Jessica Townsend is an incredibly talented writer; giving you these beautiful, intricate details that allow you to experience Nevermoor through the eyes of a child (Morrigan); sometimes it felt like just a little *too* much. As a seasoned reader, I could push through. But as a young reader, I don't know that I would have had the attention span to read some of the sections.
Overall, I highly, highly recommend this to both you and any kiddo in your life. I'm looking forward to continuing the series.
Morrigan Crow is an outcast. Born on Eventide, a curse that means she'll live for a only a short time, she knows that her time alive is nearing the end. This also means that she's a pretty unlucky girl. Bad things always seem to happen when she's around, and whether or not Morrigan is *actually* to blame, she usually takes the blame. Her Father and Stepmother are positively repulsive. Her Grandmother is just written in that way where you know there is maybe an *inkling* of caring and loving, but she absolutely does not know how to show it.
But then, on the evening of her demise, she's scooped up by none other than Jupiter North and swept into Nevermoor; a magical world that for now is Morrigan's new home. She be participating in a series of 'trials' in order to be admitted to the Wundrous Society, the only hope that Morrigan has left. If she fails this, it could cost her everything.
I absolutely adore this book. The writing was so exquisite - it had me laughing, crying, and being angry all at the same time. As an adult, there were some aspects of Morrigan's life that I really related too and I could physically feel the pain that Morrigan experienced being an outcast. All of the side characters were also written in away where you knew just enough about them to form an opinion, but not enough that it was overwhelming. I also really enjoyed all the little details of the trials and the overall high stakes.
5-STARS: As an adult, I positively loved this book and think it is worth of each and every of the five stars I've given it. I cannot wait to continue in the series, and I would even consider a re-read of this so that I could try and catch some things that I may have overlooked the first time around. For me, reading this book felt like when I picked up the Harry Potter for the first time as a young girl, just diving right in and flying through at every opportunity I had to see what would happen next.
4- STARS: If you're looking at this review and wondering where I think it might fall for a middle grade reader, I would say between 4-4.5 stars. THE ONLY REASON I say this is while Jessica Townsend is an incredibly talented writer; giving you these beautiful, intricate details that allow you to experience Nevermoor through the eyes of a child (Morrigan); sometimes it felt like just a little *too* much. As a seasoned reader, I could push through. But as a young reader, I don't know that I would have had the attention span to read some of the sections.
Overall, I highly, highly recommend this to both you and any kiddo in your life. I'm looking forward to continuing the series.
I'm sorry. Who am I?
A. FIVE. STAR. ROMANCE?
Sarah rated a romance FIVE. STARS?
In Part Of Your World, we're falling Alexis who is an ER Doctor from a prestigious family and worldwide notable hospital. She meets Daniel, the mayor of a small town where everyone knows every body and they all take care of each other. It's an unlikely match, but a perfect one!
Let's talk about it...
First and foremost this book dives right in. There is no pissing around trying to build all this backstory or trying to understand how we got to where we are. It just happens. I found that SO refreshing. If you can't catch my attention quickly, I am not going to last long.
This book made me actually laugh out loud. And it had me very close to tears (had I not been at work reading I probably would have cried). If you can make me smile, giggle, laugh, cry, and feel all the feels in between you deserve every one of your five stars.
I think one of the reasons that I enjoyed this so much was because the writing felt a lot like fanfiction to me but without being fanfiction..does that make sense? Fanfiction is what got me back into reading right before the pandemic so I think it was great to fall back into something that was so simple to read.
I highly recommend checking this one out if you're looking for something short, sweet, and romantic. I'm very much looking forward to diving into the rest of the "Part of Your World" series.
A. FIVE. STAR. ROMANCE?
Sarah rated a romance FIVE. STARS?
In Part Of Your World, we're falling Alexis who is an ER Doctor from a prestigious family and worldwide notable hospital. She meets Daniel, the mayor of a small town where everyone knows every body and they all take care of each other. It's an unlikely match, but a perfect one!
Let's talk about it...
First and foremost this book dives right in. There is no pissing around trying to build all this backstory or trying to understand how we got to where we are. It just happens. I found that SO refreshing. If you can't catch my attention quickly, I am not going to last long.
This book made me actually laugh out loud. And it had me very close to tears (had I not been at work reading I probably would have cried). If you can make me smile, giggle, laugh, cry, and feel all the feels in between you deserve every one of your five stars.
I think one of the reasons that I enjoyed this so much was because the writing felt a lot like fanfiction to me but without being fanfiction..does that make sense? Fanfiction is what got me back into reading right before the pandemic so I think it was great to fall back into something that was so simple to read.
I highly recommend checking this one out if you're looking for something short, sweet, and romantic. I'm very much looking forward to diving into the rest of the "Part of Your World" series.
I was having serious FOMO over this book and have been very eager to get it off my backlist TBR.
I dove into this ready to go and devoured it for one of my quickest reads in a few months.
I think everyone knows what this story is about at this point but here's a brief description. June Hayward and Athena Liu are 'friends' and authors. Here's the problem: Athena's career is successful and taking off in all the ways that June feels she is entitled too, but is not. But then, something happens to Athena and June just happens to snag a manuscript and is now ready to publish it and get what *she* deserves. Follow along as June gets all, and maybe more, that's she has asked for.
I felt a multitude of emotions while reading this book - so many so that I don't think that I can actually put them to words that make sense in a review. It's more like scattered, incomplete thoughts that together probably make sense but I just don't know how to articulate it.
As someone who has absolutely zero idea of how publishing works, I did like getting to see some of the 'behind the scenes' things - the good, the bad, and everything in between.
June is probably one of the most unlikable characters that is not a point blank villain I've ever read. (AND BEFORE YOU COME AT ME I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT SHE IS A HORRIBLE PERSON AND IS A VILLAIN. 100%. WHAT I MEAN BY THIS IS THAT..other than what I already knew about the book..if you were coming in 100% blind to what this book is about it's not like it's advertised as a Disney movie where you know a villain is inevitable. Does that make sense? Like personally, *I* knew she was a villain going in and had strong feelings/opinions, but it I didn't, I might not have hated her right away...)
^^And this is why I said I don't feel I can adequately review this book.
It's genius. It's ugly. It's necessary.
Just read it. You'll be glad you did.
I dove into this ready to go and devoured it for one of my quickest reads in a few months.
I think everyone knows what this story is about at this point but here's a brief description. June Hayward and Athena Liu are 'friends' and authors. Here's the problem: Athena's career is successful and taking off in all the ways that June feels she is entitled too, but is not. But then, something happens to Athena and June just happens to snag a manuscript and is now ready to publish it and get what *she* deserves. Follow along as June gets all, and maybe more, that's she has asked for.
I felt a multitude of emotions while reading this book - so many so that I don't think that I can actually put them to words that make sense in a review. It's more like scattered, incomplete thoughts that together probably make sense but I just don't know how to articulate it.
As someone who has absolutely zero idea of how publishing works, I did like getting to see some of the 'behind the scenes' things - the good, the bad, and everything in between.
June is probably one of the most unlikable characters that is not a point blank villain I've ever read. (AND BEFORE YOU COME AT ME I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT SHE IS A HORRIBLE PERSON AND IS A VILLAIN. 100%. WHAT I MEAN BY THIS IS THAT..other than what I already knew about the book..if you were coming in 100% blind to what this book is about it's not like it's advertised as a Disney movie where you know a villain is inevitable. Does that make sense? Like personally, *I* knew she was a villain going in and had strong feelings/opinions, but it I didn't, I might not have hated her right away...)
^^And this is why I said I don't feel I can adequately review this book.
It's genius. It's ugly. It's necessary.
Just read it. You'll be glad you did.
1. Living in a bookstore.
2. The characters of your book come alive(ish).
3. A few side quests and best friend that is willing to go along for the ride.
I am *HERE* for this book.
In this book we're following Tilly, who lives with her grandparents at the Bookstore they own. One day, she starts seeing some characters from her favorite novels showing up in the store, or so she thinks, because she's seeing characters talking to her grandparents as well. And then, one of them sucks her and her best friend into a story and suddenly she's learning she's a "book-wanderer".
We follow Tilly along as she comes to terms with what she is and WHO she is. And the ending was absolutely heartwarming.
This book immediately brought me back to childhood and made me remember why I loved reading so much. It is literally the ability to just get lost in a story and go wherever your heart desires.
I highly, highly recommend this to anyone, but especially if you have a kiddo that enjoys reading. I am very much looking forward to continuing along in the series to see what else Tilly can get herself into!
2. The characters of your book come alive(ish).
3. A few side quests and best friend that is willing to go along for the ride.
I am *HERE* for this book.
In this book we're following Tilly, who lives with her grandparents at the Bookstore they own. One day, she starts seeing some characters from her favorite novels showing up in the store, or so she thinks, because she's seeing characters talking to her grandparents as well. And then, one of them sucks her and her best friend into a story and suddenly she's learning she's a "book-wanderer".
We follow Tilly along as she comes to terms with what she is and WHO she is. And the ending was absolutely heartwarming.
This book immediately brought me back to childhood and made me remember why I loved reading so much. It is literally the ability to just get lost in a story and go wherever your heart desires.
I highly, highly recommend this to anyone, but especially if you have a kiddo that enjoys reading. I am very much looking forward to continuing along in the series to see what else Tilly can get herself into!
After having a bit of a rough reading year so far, I decided to give myself a little break and have dubbed May as "Middle Grade May" where I'm allowing myself to dedicate an entire month to reading Middle Grade stories that have been recommended by BookTubers that I trust.
Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch was the first one I picked up for this month. First and foremost, let me state that I am VERY AWARE that I am not the intended audience for this book as I am clearly not a middle-schooler. However, I have a lot of friends with middle-school aged (almost) children so not only do I enjoy reading these stories for myself, but also so that I can provider to recommendations to others when asked.
In this story, we are following Eva Evergreen as she goes on her Novice Witch Quest in another town Auteri. While for most Apprentice Wizards or Witches, this is the change of a lifetime - for Eva, a witch that struggles with her magic - she's more than apprehensive.
Let me start off by saying that Eva is literally the cutest! She falls asleep if she casts too many spells (same girl, same) and sometimes the spells go a little haywire. I love the people that she meets in Auteri, and how the become her found family. I love the support that she receives and has from her family when others aren't confident in her.
While I do think that it starts a bit slow and is a bit long overall, I did really enjoy the book and will probably read the second in the series.
Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch was the first one I picked up for this month. First and foremost, let me state that I am VERY AWARE that I am not the intended audience for this book as I am clearly not a middle-schooler. However, I have a lot of friends with middle-school aged (almost) children so not only do I enjoy reading these stories for myself, but also so that I can provider to recommendations to others when asked.
In this story, we are following Eva Evergreen as she goes on her Novice Witch Quest in another town Auteri. While for most Apprentice Wizards or Witches, this is the change of a lifetime - for Eva, a witch that struggles with her magic - she's more than apprehensive.
Let me start off by saying that Eva is literally the cutest! She falls asleep if she casts too many spells (same girl, same) and sometimes the spells go a little haywire. I love the people that she meets in Auteri, and how the become her found family. I love the support that she receives and has from her family when others aren't confident in her.
While I do think that it starts a bit slow and is a bit long overall, I did really enjoy the book and will probably read the second in the series.
I know that this is an unpopular opinion but I really didn't care for this one. Our book club's theme for April was Mythology and after all the hype surrounding this book I thought it would be a great one to check off my TBR and read to discuss with everyone.
To tell you how absolutely little I know about Greek Mythology..I thought Achilles was a woman. #sorrynotsorry - spoiler alert, he's not. Not at all.
This is following the friendship and relationship between Patroclus and Achilles before, during, and after Troy.
The two of them have a beautiful relationship and the writing of this novel is beautiful albeit it's very slow in the beginning. I personally found myself not wanting to pick up the book and struggling to make myself finish it. Towards the end I had to listen to the audio to just finish it and move on. So, while there were parts that I enjoyed I just think I'm not the overall audience for this type of story and I'm alright with that. I will give Circe ago but I won't be too overly devastated if I have to DNF it and move on.
To tell you how absolutely little I know about Greek Mythology..I thought Achilles was a woman. #sorrynotsorry - spoiler alert, he's not. Not at all.
This is following the friendship and relationship between Patroclus and Achilles before, during, and after Troy.
The two of them have a beautiful relationship and the writing of this novel is beautiful albeit it's very slow in the beginning. I personally found myself not wanting to pick up the book and struggling to make myself finish it. Towards the end I had to listen to the audio to just finish it and move on. So, while there were parts that I enjoyed I just think I'm not the overall audience for this type of story and I'm alright with that. I will give Circe ago but I won't be too overly devastated if I have to DNF it and move on.